


To Mara, With Love

by sabrina



Category: Star Wars: New Republic Era - Various
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1999-04-28
Updated: 1999-04-28
Packaged: 2017-10-07 08:39:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/63364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sabrina/pseuds/sabrina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shortly after his engagement, Luke gets a surprise from an old friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Mara, With Love

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers: _Star Wars_/ _Planet of Twilight_

Mara Jade walked briskly into the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. Although the New Republic had used the palace for over a decade she still could think of it by no other name. She smiled at a guard she passed and walked quickly into Organa Solo's offices.

"Mara!" Leia smiled. "I'm glad you got here. I was getting ready to leave and I didn't know whether you were going to make it or not."

"I'm not sure how great I'll be at dress shopping Leia. Does it really matter what I wear? After all, it's only going to be a small wedding. Only close family and friends."

"Yes, but the newsvids will want pictures, and Luke is a Skywalker. The first of the new order of Jedi. Mara, you need to look nice." Leia grinned. "Besides, you are always the one who was taught to blend in anywhere, I thought you'd be dragging me out to look."

Mara smiled wryly and rolled her eyes. "All right. We're going, that is if you're ready."

"I'm ready." Leia smiled, closed down a datapad she had been looking at and told the secretarial droid to hold her calls and forward anything life threatening to her comlink.

The two women stepped out of the palace into bright sunlight and traffic galore. Coruscant was always busy, and today was no exception to the rule. Space planes landed on the planet and then left just as quickly.

Leia glanced at her sister-in-law to be. Mara had changed in the past few months. Changed more than she probably realized, and more than Leia could ever hope to explain. Mara had loosened up a great deal, she had softened, but most noticeably, she was happy. Mara smiled regularly now, even when there was nothing much to smile about, and often when she didn't think anyone was looking. Leia could not remember ever being more surprised than when Luke had told her that he had proposed to Mara, and more than that, Mara had accepted. Now, as she watched Mara she saw the change that had come over her and she knew that it had been good for Mara. Where before she had been fiercely independent to the point of being aloof, she was simply independent.

"Are you meeting Luke later this evening?" Leia asked as they entered a shopping center that was filled with designer dresses. Expensive, but definitely something Master Trader Jade could afford.

"Mmm-hmm." Mara murmured as she checked out a window display. "In here," she motioned with her head and walked into the store. "We're supposed to meet at a cafe close to the middle school where he's speaking today."

Leia had forgotten that Luke was even doing that. Her brother had followed Mon Mothma's advice and decided that maybe running the Jedi Academy wasn't the only thing that he was meant to do. He had turned over the academy to Kyp Durron and Streen and had left Yavin 4, planning on returning for only a few weeks out of the year, hopefully to promote students, and teach a few first hand history lessons on the rebellion. Now he was on Coruscant, and his first priority was his upcoming marriage, but his second was to visit schools, at least for a while. He was hoping to find a place somewhere else, hoping to find something new and different to do with his life, but at the moment, he wasn't certain what.

The afternoon passed quickly. Mara tried on several dresses. Some white, some an off-white color and some that were nearly every color of the rainbow.

"You are getting married?" A young Twi'lek clerk asked eagerly. "Oh, then you must wear white." She passed Mara a long flowing gown with off the shoulder sleeves and a low circle neckline.

"No." Mara smiled. "I don't think I should. I'd feel like a senator or something, do you have anything else?"

The clerk looked disappointed. "Well, we have several Yangini's over here. This one is, and that one." The last one she had referred to was a pale yellow. Fitted at the waist with slim, sleek lines, it was made of a frothy, shimmery material that glistened in the store display lights. Mara's eyes stopped on it.

"That one. May I try it on?"

The clerk nodded and slipped the dress down. Mara tried it on and knew immediately, that this was the one.

"That's it, Mara." Leia smiled. "It's beautiful."

"I like it." Mara said rather short, trying to be the old Mara and failing miserably with the sparkles in her eyes. "I'll take this one. Please wrap it up and make sure that you are careful with it. I think this fabric will wrinkle badly. Such a bother over a dress." She said turning to Leia. "It's really good that I found something." She said glancing at her chrono. "I'm going to have to go meet Skywalker in a few minutes.

"Well, then we better go."

"Thank you for helping me with it Leia."

"It was no bother, Mara."

Leia had offered to take the dress to her house, and Mara hadn't refused her. It was going to be a big box to carry around for the rest of the evening. After she had paid for the dress she slipped out of the store and found a speeder to take her to the part of the city she was supposed to meet Skywalker in. She stepped out on the sidewalk beside a busy little cafe. Half a dozen species sat around small tables, and Mara looked over them, her eyes finally stopping on a man reading a datapad.

"This seat taken, Jedi?"

Blue eyes raised over the datapad and glanced up at her. "Mara. How did it go? Did you find something?" Luke stood and hugged her gently.

"Oh, I found something." Mara started to sit down but Luke stopped her.

"I got us a private room. Come on."

She smiled and took his arm, following him into a smaller room, with windows that looked out over the city. She sat down in one of the chairs and pressed her order into the pad beside the table.

"How was Leia today?"

"She looked good. She was very helpful with helping me pick out my dress. I appreciated it."

Luke smiled. "Only four more days, Mara."

"Skywalker do you realize how many times you've said that to me?" Mara asked him sternly, but there was a small smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye.

"Only three times today."

"And seven times yesterday." Mara rolled her eyes.

"Actually, yesterday my exact words were 'only five more days'." Luke corrected.

"Whatever. Luke Skywalker. You are obsessed." Mara stated.

"Obsessed. With the woman I love? I hope I am." Luke smiled. "If I'm not there's something wrong, and I best rethink this marriage thing." He reached for her hand and begin to play with her fingers, gently. "I love you Mara Jade."

She smiled at him, saying nothing. It was still too hard for her to say anything aloud. It had been hard for her to even trust Luke as much as she had begin to.

"Is it really that hard for you to say it Mara?" Luke asked her. "Is it that hard for you to admit that you finally fell for someone, and fell hard?"

"You certainly have an ego, Skywalker." Mara said. "You think that you have every woman in the universe drooling after you."

"I don't need every woman in the universe-not when I have the woman I love right in front of me." Luke said slowly.

Mara lifted emerald eyes to meet his sapphire blue ones. They locked searching each other's feelings, emotions, and searching the other's soul.

"Luke Skywalker?" A voice from the intercom on the table startled both of them out of their reverie.

"Yes?"

"I have someone out here who needs to see you. She says it's urgent."

"It's probably Leia," Luke said. "I told her where I was meeting you this afternoon."

"Probably." Mara agreed, but uncertain that it was. Something about it felt very wrong.

It was a few minutes before the door to the room opened and beyond it stood two people. One a woman, a woman Mara knew that she had seen before somewhere, and the other a small child, a child who had features so familiar...

"Luke?"

Mara glanced at Luke for a moment. He had risen when the door opened and now he was standing as if paralyzed. Mara turned back to the woman. Fine features, high cheekbones and gray eyes... Very, very, very gray eyes. Recognition came and came swiftly.

"Callista."

Luke had finally spoke, but it wasn't a question when he spoke, it was a statement, final and hard.

"I'm sorry to interrupt. But I must talk to you. Just for a moment."

"Fine."

Callista glanced at Mara, uncertain and questioning. "I thought maybe we could talk alone..."

"Mara and I are engaged now, Callista," Luke said. "Whatever you have to say to me, Mara can hear too."

Callista winced slightly and gave Mara a final searching look and then turned back to Luke. "Luke this is Isaic. Isaic, say hello."

"Hello." The boy was a child of no more than six, probably only five. He had light blonde hair that was swished over his face and sad eyes. And it was the eyes that drew Mara. They were eyes she had seen before, eyes that she knew well, and with a glance she looked at Luke. He had noticed the eyes too and she had felt the shock and then the denial follow.

"Isaic, here. Wait for Mother outside the door please." Callista handed him a small toy and turned him to the door. He left slowly.

"He's yours." Luke said not asking, simply knowing.

Callista nodded. "And yours Luke."

The breath came out all at once. He had known. Known from the moment that Callista walked into the room, known like he had known at Cloud City, when Vader had told him the truth, but still he had hoped.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The accusation sounded familiar. Very familiar... And the feeling of his life spinning out of control, that felt familiar too, far too familiar.

"I-" Tears came. "I wasn't going to bother you."

"Bother?" Luke said exasperated. "It would bother me to know that I had a son? Bother me to try to play a role in his life? That's a bother?"

"Luke, I thought it was for the best. If I had come back, you would have only tried to make me stay. I couldn't then. I had to try and find my Force sense again. I thought that I could raise him myself, that I wouldn't have to bother you or disrupt your life in any way."

"Then why are you here now?" Mara had finally found her voice and she flashed green eyes at Callista's tear filled gray ones.

"Luke, please, isn't there somewhere we could talk?"

Luke glanced at Mara. In one instant his world was turned upside down. He had always wondered how Leia had stood right by Vader, and Vader had never known. Now he knew, he'd had a son for years and he hadn't known. Hadn't dreamed... "No." He said finally. "You can have a seat if you want, but Mara is staying."

Callista looked at him, begging and pleading with her eyes and then giving up she stepped closer. "I wouldn't have come back, if I knew another way. Honestly I wouldn't have. But, Luke someone needs to-" Her voice wavered and she bit her lip. "Luke, I'm dying. Isaic needs someone to look after him. I have no other family and I didn't know where else to turn."

Luke starred at her for an instant and then turned to Mara. Mara could feel his anger, his fear, and the absolute misery, but he turned and without a trace of any of it in his voice, spoke. "Mara, I think Callista's right. We do need to talk."

Mara nodded silently, knowing in that one instant that everything had changed. "I'll be waiting for you."

* * *

 

That had been three weeks ago, and Mara had left the cafe knowing that she was leaving a life behind. She had been right. Callista may have been dying, but as she did she was dragging Luke with her. He had came back that night, silent and resigned. "Mara, Callista needs me right now, and Isaic will need me in the future."

"How long?" She'd managed to ask.

"They don't know," Luke had responded empty. "They simply don't know."

"Well, can't you watch over her from here? Luke, don't leave."

"Mara..." He interrupted himself and started over. "Mara, I love you. You know I do, but I have a responsibility to my... my son. He needs me right now. I need to be able to get to know him and spend time with him, and the best way to ease into his life is to have Callista around why I'm trying to. I wish that things were different, but I will come back for you. I can't expect you to wait on me, Mara. I don't know how long I'll be. But I have an obligation to Callista. She didn't stay on the eye because I asked her not to, I- I can't expect you to understand, but I do love you Mara. Please say you know I love you."

Of course that hadn't went over real well, she 'd been angry and yelled at him. "Why, Skywalker?!? Why!? How can you just leave me for a woman you haven't seen in six years? If you love me don't leave me!" But even as she said it, she knew why he'd left, and she knew that she would have honestly expected no less from him... and would have been disappointed in him if he had given less.

Now she sat quietly in her apartment, light yellow material draped over her knees and a small box in her hand. A droid had come earlier in the day to give it to her. Mara was tempted to throw it across the room but as she remembered Skywalker's face that night she didn't and instead opened it carefully. Inside a small stone gleamed and Mara lifted up a small necklace. A deep jade green emerald was set with two tiny sapphires on either side. She bit her lip, tears springing to her eyes, and this time in anger threw it across the room.

Skywalker's voice echoed playfully in her ears: "Anger is of the Dark Side, Mara. Don't get too angry with me! I'd hate to be the one who turned you!" He had said it with a smile and joking when she had hit him teasingly one day but, now the voice haunted her. Immediately repentant she scrambled to the floor sending the the light yellow froth flying. Groping on hands and knees, barely able to see through the tears she found the necklace and glanced at the box next to it. She glanced down at the small card in the box, even though she knew who the gift was from. Reading through her tears she saw the words: To Mara, With Love... and without reading the rest she whispered into the darkness. "I love you, Luke Skywalker. I do love you."

**Author's Note:**

> Archival is link to this site only. / This is George Lucas' galaxy and I am simply playing in it. These ideas and thoughts are my own, and the paths I lead the characters on is simply an alternate path to Lucas' own story. I am writing this story for my own enjoyment and a break from finals and I am making no money from it.


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